Russia and Belarus signed a deal on Thursday formalizing the procedure for deploying Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. Control of the weapons will remain with Moscow. The move formalized a deal agreed on earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the AP reports. Putin announced in March that his country planned to deploy tactical, comparatively short-range and small-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus. The inking of the deal comes as Russia braces for Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive.
Both Russian and Belarusian officials framed the step as driven by hostility from the West. "Deployment of nonstrategic nuclear weapons is an effective response to the aggressive policy of countries unfriendly to us," Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in Minsk during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. "In the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision was made to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere," Shoigu added. Belarus’ Ministry of Defense said the agreement refers to a "special storage facility on the territory of the Republic of Belarus."
No details were announced regarding when the weapons would be deployed in Belarus, but Putin previously said that the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would be completed by July 1. Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the move. "We must do everything to prevent Putin’s plan to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, as this will ensure Russia’s control over Belarus for years to come," Tsikhanouskaya told the AP. "This will further jeopardize the security of Ukraine and all of Europe."
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